Monday, September 10, 2012

Puritan Worldview and the Salem Witch Trials

Discuss the relationship between the Puritans' (Separatists') worldview and the consequences of that worldview as exemplified by the Salem Witchcraft Trials 72 years after they first landed and established their colony of Plymouth. Draw upon information from your American Pageant textbook, from The Crucible, and from the links to additional materials below (since you do not have your Norton Anthology of American Literature, yet, I have included John Winthrop's A Model of Christian Charity below. Remember, The Crucible is not an historic document, it is a dramatization of the historical record, so be careful when you speak about it in your blog post. Remain "accurate" both in terms of history and literature.

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Separatists and Puritans (who settled in Massachusetts Bay lead by John Winthrop, and the Separatists, who settled in Plymouth) were the primary two branches of individual religious beliefs in the 16th and 17th centuries that either broke off or "separate" from the Church of England, or believed they had the ability to renew or "purify" the already existing beliefs. The Puritans were English Protestants and Calvinists that banded together in an activist movement/attempt to alter the established Christian Church by adopting primarily Sabbatarian views. While Separatists held their own ground and formed various independently distinguished churches, fundamentally accrediting the notion of the gathered church, firmly loyal to God's Spirit, not man or the state. The connection that the Puritans' and Separatists' viewpoints as ascertained by the Salem Witch Craft Trials are as follows: their contrasting territorial mindsets, parliamentary obstruction, and educational perspectives. Still, both revered each of their exclusive premises, thus instigating the confusion and rather violent assertion of the Salem Witch Trials, following both of their respective establishments. First, the provincial standpoints of both were completely independent. For instance, in comparison to the Church of England as well as the Puritan's, the Separatists were unique yet strongly fixed Christian followers that sought out isolated congressional places of worship, and generally were opposed to the unification of political ideals. Puritan's were severely restrained from interfering directly within the church, so instead they spread themselves amongst society by preaching and convincing other Christians that the English Reformation had not accomplished the desired amount of authoritative liberty from the Pope and Roman Catholic Church. Second, the approach each had on legislational obstacles was quite different. For example, in the Massachusetts Colony the congressionalist church confined the right to vote in addition to only permitting "godly men" or members of said church, allowing dissenters to disperse across Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Haven, and New Hampshire. Separatists thought that the detached churches were to stay true to their own selective governmental stance predicated on the location. And finally, education differed substantially as well. The Puritan's had a kind of Reformed theology, bringing not only a special type of clergy, but also their own system of education signified by that system (the University of Cambridge is one example). On the other hand, Separatists instituted new concepts most effectively through a sect of Separatists known collectively as Brownists (basically their version of the clergy). Overall, the opposing regional areas, ordaining jurisdictions, and teaching ways, precisely laid the foundation for the prejudiced inclination towards an inherent goal of abolishing "witchcraft" approximately three-quarters of a century later.

The Puritans that sailed to the Americas in 1620 desired a location that served as a safe place to practice purified Protestantism and raise their children in a strict, innocent environment. Seventy-two years later, the Puritan belief system remained as the Salem Witch Trials took place, in which twenty people were persecuted for practices of witchcraft. After Henry VIII separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, a desire for the “total purification” of English Christianity arose from a group of religious reformers. These “Puritans” were frustrated with the slow advancement of the Protestant Reformation and hungered for the Church of England to rid itself from its Catholic beliefs. In 1608, a group of fervent Puritans, known as Separatists, retreated to Holland in the hope of escaping royal wrath. However, Holland provided an atmosphere so tolerant that the Separatists viewed it as corrupt, and feared the Dutch future of their children. As a result, the Separatists left Holland twelve years later in search of a safe haven to live abundantly as purified Protestants. They traveled on the Mayflower after they wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact, a document that ensured the formation of a crude government in their new location. The Mayflower landed in Plymouth Bay in 1620, launching the beginning of a Protestant population in America. In 1662, the Half-Way Covenant was announced, that widened church participation. This covenant diminished the distinct difference between the “elect” and other members of society. The Half-Way Covenant led to a terrifying religious episode thirty years later, known as the Salem Witch Trials. In Salem, Massachusetts, twenty individuals were persecuted after being accused of witchcraft. This event showed the Puritan’s need for an innocent environment, free of any corruption whatsoever. The Puritans had taken extreme measures in order to ensure a “pure” environment, since they had embarked on their journey to America seventy-two years earlier. In conclusion, the same beliefs that Puritans must maintain a “pure” haven lasted the seventy-two years between their first establishment in America and the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

With their staunch religious views in tow, a group known as the Puritans immigrated to the New World in the seventeenth century in an effort to distance themselves, and especially their children, from what they viewed as the corrupted form of Protestantism that England practiced at the time. Settled in Massachusetts, these Pilgrims founded a society anchored by their beliefs and principles, thereby establishing a theocracy. Although this religious uniformity facilitated the dreamed of environment where the Puritans could raise their children in a world free from dishonesty and evil, their fundamental disapproval of any practice that deviated from their prescribed ways of life, combined with their unquestioning trust in the innocence of children, precipitated one of the most outrageous and outlandish events of American history, the Salem Witch Trials. A primary source of understanding on the Puritanical worldview is a sermon delivered by John Winthrop, the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and its first governor. Titled “A Model of Christian Charity” his speech stresses the vital role that contiguity plays in the creation of a perfect civilization through pious love. As the Puritans’ lives were centered upon the church that their settlement was rooted in, Winthrop’s words were not difficult to put into practice. In the early years of the colony, the settlers stood together against the impacting powers of England and the Native Americans, allowing the society to prosper as a whole, however, just seventy-two years later, delusions of witchcraft would eradicate this apparent harmony; Arthur Miller’s The Crucible provides an illustration of the utter insanity and lack of logic present within these colonial leaders’ quest for justice. This work of historical fiction highlights the fatal flaw of the Puritans’ blind faith in the righteousness of youth as the adults fly into destructive hysteria over the children’s unsubstantiated accusations of witchcraft. In an ironic twist of fate, this society full of people who once proclaimed a message of togetherness and support brutally turned against one another in an attack justified by spectral evidence and the testimonies of suppressed children. When a society is so resolutely opposed to any form of change or outside influence as that of the Puritan theocracy, there can be no doubt that the rights and welfare of the individuals within that society will suffer greatly.

When the German Martin Luther nailed his protests against the church to its doors the effect set the world onto a new course. Lead by John Calvin the Calvinist movement set about a religious fervor. He brought about ideas of human weakness and perpetual sin, he claimed ideas of predestination, claiming the deserving had already been chosen for heaven. Extreme separatists set off to find a separation from the Roman Catholic Church of England. However this escape was short lived and lead to the corruption of their children too dutch ideals. With no other place to go they sailed into the unknown and landed in Plymouth in 1620. The small colony believed themselves to be blessed directly and chosen by god, as such their leader William Bradford believed non-puritan settlers "Would corrupt his godly experiment in the wilderness. " However a group of enthusiastic puritans feared for the future of England and settled in the new world to form the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This group of puritans was not quite as radical as the previous and worked to maintain a connection to the English church. Their dramatic leader, John Winthrop worked to create "A city on a hill" to be a beacon to the world. Soon in 1691 the charter-less Separatists merged together with the Massachusetts Colony. When the Plymouth separatists fled Holland, they left in order to protect their children and follow the common Puritan belief that children were wholly innocent and free from lies or corruption. However they maintained the belief that their mere presence in Holland left a specter of evil from the land. The children began spouting stories of witch craft and general hysteria spread like wild fire in the Bible Common Wealth. The teachings of Calvinism brought the puritans to believe the devil lives in the dark lands and forests of the world, and in conjunction to the cries of witchery they came to the conclusion that this colony was about to have the final battle with the devil. With this frame in mind they set on an idea that the upcoming events were the linchpin to the future of the world. With the combination of these ideas they set about killing 20 people until the governor shut down the process. The Puritans took extreme measures to protect their way of life and in the end, it cost the lives of many. It all goes to show that if you keep the world out you can not possibly hope to advance or endure.

When the Separatist Puritans fled England and the Roman Catholic Church in the early 1600’s for fear of persecution, they had no idea of the aftermath their lifestyle and belief system would cause them 72 years after landing in Plymouth Bay. The Puritans first went to Holland to escape, but the “Dutchification” of their children was not satisfactory, it went against separatism. Dutch children caused the Puritan children to stray from their upbringing of godliness and trustworthiness. The horrified parents may have developed the practice demonstrated in The Crucible – severe beatings – to “train up their children in the way they should go” because of said Dutchification (Proverbs 22:6). To prevent further happenings, the Puritans packed their families and meager belongings and went to Plymouth, New England. Here, the Separatists were free to practice their religion, train their children in accordance with their laws, convert others, and keep Satan from their speck in the world. The Salem Witch Trials in 1692 exemplify the flaws of this philosophy. Starting with a séance in the woods, the Salem Witch Trials quickly became out of control. In the play, the practice of harsh punishments for the children started a “bewitching” influenza to get out of the beatings. Because the Pilgrims read in their Scriptures that children have the “secret” to the kingdom of heaven, the judges blinded themselves to the obvious lying that was occurring by those children accusers. Another “cause” of the Witch Trials was that these Puritans believed they were the city on a hill, (John Winthrop) the light to the rest of the world and so the entire world depended on them “purifying” Salem settlement of Satan and his “witches.” The final reason the Salem Witch Trials lasted as long as they did was that spectral evidence was allowed and upheld as legal evidence. In conclusion, the belief systems of the Puritans, their Separatist way of life, and their strict punishments for any kind of infraction or disagreement caused the deaths by hanging of 19 men, women, and children.

The Puritans (Separatists) believe in Calvinism created by John Calvin of Genève. Calvinism argues that God was all powerful and good. Because of Adam and Eve’s original sin, humans are weak and wicked. God knows who is all going to hell and who is all going to heaven, ever since they were born. The government is responsible for keeps the beliefs of God. The Puritans believe that man existed for glory of God, his first concern of life, was to do god’s will and receive future happiness. Puritans believed that God would reward good behavior and people, while those were evil or corrupt would be punished. As time passed Puritans religious zeal lessened and encouraged the creation of a new church membership known as The Half-way Covenant. The Half-way Covenant allowed partial membership rights in kept the Church doors open to all gathers. This agreement allowed four more women to join Puritan congregation. There is something special about the Education in New England. Children must be taught to read the bible and to understand the laws of the country, if they were not taught to read they would grow “barbarous”. Women were expected to promote children to read while men would encourage their higher education. Most history shows that women were not allowed to attend even the lower level schools. Girls usually did not further their education past reading. In Salem Massachusetts a group of teenage girls accused an older woman of bewitching them. This created an outbreak of witch hunts that allowed for the legal hanging of twenty individuals. Many of the accused were property owning women that the general public held prejudices against. Many of these “witches” came from the market economy while there accusers came from farmlands. Many of these farming families were religious traditionalists that feared change.

The Puritan’s were a religious group, which, because of their oppression at home (England) decided to pack up and go to the New World, where they could have religious freedom. They arrived in the new world in the 17th century and established Plymouth. 90 years later they were at each other’s throats as they tried to root out witches. This dramatic change was because of their world view. Their world view was “Those who were definitely Christian believers, therefore, should seek out other Christians and gather together to make up a particular church (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285064/Separatist).” Because of this belief the leaders (individuals) would give rights to the community instead of the individual. This is shown in the Crucible in the town’s reaction. They are willing to “throw one individual into the fire” in order to try and keep the community “pure” and in control. This is shown when they tell John Proctor that he will be hanged for something he never did. They are hanging him just because he is causing trouble, and more importantly is questioning the authority of the decisions of the court (which even the court now sees as wrong). The court believes they are supporting the community and it shows the ideology of the Puritans, in which they take the bible literally when it says in Mathew 18:8 “And if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hand or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” They are taking this literally in thinking that if one person is “practicing” witchcraft, then he should be put to death than the whole town be infested with the devil. Another essential part in the bible that is the Puritans downfall because of the literalness that they take it is when Jesus says to be as truthful as kids. Because of this they believe the kids who are faking. Because of this idea also that good Christian’s gather together (stated above) they believe that if you are a true “Christian” than you will support the community, not the individual. This is shown in the Crucible when Rev. Paris says that anyone seeking for the good of Christianity will not “hinder this court.” This is a broad statement; Paris is essential saying that the townspeople support him (an individual) and the community is Christianity. Because of this anyone going against the community is not “Christian.” This reason gives the leaders “bullets” in their persecutions; they have backup, and not only that, God’s backup. This idea of Community is the original reason for the colony being so successful and gaining so many followers is also their downfall.

Missy Smith In 1692, 70 years after the Puritans established Plymouth, in what is now called Massachusetts, a devastating event happened: The Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch trials played through because of three different things land, power, and social status. First, the major disagreement that the adults had was the entitlement of land, and because of this started the branding of witches among adults; second, power was held not only by the court but the children as well, they used this new found power to get back at their elders; and third, the social status was constantly changing by whether or not you had been given the witch curse. In this period of 6 months and 22 days, about 20 men and women died not counting the ones who died in jail, through this act of selfishness and stupidity 20 innocent people died. Land was, in reality, where someone got their good or bad social status. In the case of Giles Coree, prosperous farmer and full member of the church in early colonial America, was killed under judicial torture during the Salem witch trials. He was accused of witchcraft by Ann Putnam Jr. whose father was Thomas Putnam who had a dispute with Giles because of the land that connected their lands. His whole case points to the land; Thomas got greedy and saw a way to use the trials to his advantage, he then told his daughter to accuse Giles of witchcraft. This is one case that really jumps out compared to the others, because of the fact that there was obviously some foul play. In the Puritan religion children are looked at as the most innocent character there can be. They could say it is raining cats and dogs and the elders would believe them. This paired with the idea of freedom from their overbearing parents, they lashed out. They used this “innocence” to their advantage. Abigail Williams, 11 at the time, was the “leader” of the rebellious minors. Her along with her cousin, Betty Parris, were the first two accusers. Abigail especially used this power to put fear or doubt in others trust, because maybe she was jealous of others having their families. In a small town social status is everything, everyone knows everything so if someone makes one bad choice not only will they face family pressure but public humiliation. But good social status could also be a curse, because there would always be someone who wants that status. Ultimately, the people of Salem were idiotic, selfish, and gullible; but on the other hand there were some good, courageous, and protective people there as well. The people who were killed and victimized are the ones that anyone would weep for, the kids who did this were not “innocent” they were monsters.

In 1692, seventy-two years after the Puritans settled in what is now Massachusetts, the New England colony ran into some serious consequences due to the worldview their religion created. The Salem Witch Trial, in which 20 individuals were killed, is an example of a result brought on by the New England Puritans’ beliefs. First, their close knit settlements were united by their Puritan beliefs and so the churches’ power was related to civil power; second, because of the pressure and expectations their religion placed on them exemplified in John Winthrop’s model of Christian Clarity; third, Puritan theocracy was based more on justice for the society than the individual. The New Englanders developed a tightly knit society consisting of small villages and farms. It was united by Puritanism, which created a concern for the moral health of the community and was the origin of many of their cultural ideals. In Puritan churches, the democracy in the Congregational Church government led to democracy in the political government as well. They believed the governors were accountable to God and that the Puritans political laws and punishments went accordingly with those of the Bible. John Winthrop was a key leader of the colony who did his best to hold the society accountable to a moral code based on the teachings of the Bible. He thought that New England was to be a “city upon a hill”, causing the Puritans to see themselves as models for the rest of the world. In the society set in the Crucible, the church and state are on e and the religion is strict. Because the two ideas are tied together, moral and state laws are essentially the same. The consequences of the state and church go hand in hand. Individuals’ souls are a matter of public concern. With the Salem Witch Trials, I think justice was ensured more for the society. Individuals could not defend themselves, because a group of adolescents said otherwise. The majority usually ruled over the individual and their defense. Also, the Puritans were working to cleanse the society of the inherent evil and demonic forces that were allegedly working. So, the Puritan community in the late 1600’s ran into some serious consequences due to the worldview their religion created.

In 1692, only 70 years after its formation, the town of Salem Massachusetts, taking its desire for purification to a new level, launched the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The motivation for purification, built on Old World beliefs, left a centuries-long mark on Massachusetts and the history of the United States, until its total resolution in 2001. Although many of their beliefs were exemplified in the trials, there are a few outstanding ones: firstly, the total fidelity in the word of children; secondly, the importance of the total purification of their church; thirdly, their belief in man’s responsibility to purify the souls of wayward people. Supported by the beliefs of their predecessors, the Salem Witch Trials were able to run an uncontrollable course through the village of Salem as well as of our nation’s history. Through their interpretations of the Bible, the Puritans came to believe that children were totally innocent, and their word was to be taken seriously. This was an indescribably important aspect of the witchcraft trials, because every case was brought to light, more or less, by the word of a child. Wishing to escape punishment for not following rules, as well as wanting to work on their own terms, the adolescent girls of Salem Village accused men and women of the community of witchcraft to have even a smidgeon of a voice. Initially, if anyone would have negated a claim made by a child, they would have been labeled a witch, for contradicting what the Puritans believed the Bible said. The Puritans left England, and did not return, because of their belief that the Church of England, with its close ties to the Catholic church, was corrupt and beyond help. This belief led to the Puritan’s desire to make their own church an example, and to hold it to the highest standards. The idea of having members of the church whom doubled as witches was more than church officials could fathom. As a result, the trials were launched to purify the Puritan church. A Model of Christian Charity, by John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, states that “…when there is no other means whereby our Christian brother may be relieved in his distress, we must help him beyond our ability…”. This clearly states that the inhabitants of Salem, felt that when fellow villagers were in need of religious assistance, it was their duty to aide them, rather than God’s. The Salem Witchcraft Trials are a perfect example of this belief. Before deciding that they were guilty, the judges of the court would give the accused a chance to confess to being a witch. If they confessed, the punishments were said to be less severe, because they wanted their hearts and souls to belong to God, rather than to Satan. However, when the accused did not confess, the judges and their cohorts would take it unto themselves to rid the world of these “sinners”. Although, to the people of Salem, the trials may have seemed justified, it is clear by modern standards that they were based on assumptions that mans will could carry out God’s desires, which cannot be done.

In 1692, unrest exploded within the Puritan colony of Salem, Massachusetts, in the New World. This internal conflict took on the disastrous form of the “witchcraft trials,” which evolved as a result of the combination of Puritan doctrines and theology with local colonial conditions. First, the colony’s communal sense of pride built up their belief that their settlement was positioned high above others in comparison, and ultimately swelled Salem’s feeling of prominence; second, the Puritans’ intolerance of “unholy fraternizing” disguised the witchcraft trials and executions as righteous under the pretense of justice; third, due to natural boundaries and obstructions, land space was scarce and very restricted, giving rise to competition between townspeople for land to plant and cultivate on. Therefore, for social, political, and economic reasons, the Puritan colony of Salem, Massachusetts, ran itself into the ground during that time period and nearly caused their own demise largely thanks to their own principles. As Governor John Winthrop once stated, the colony of Massachusetts was meant to be “a city upon a hill,” a settlement that would serve as an inspiration and example to other towns everywhere. It was this line of thinking that inflated Salem’s sense of significance in the world, a thought that would eventually grow to become their belief that the fate of the world depended on Salem’s victory against the devil’s evil (something that was emphasized in the play “The Crucible” through the character of Judge Danforth). However, despite that promising future, social differences between higher and lower classes generated underlying resentment between the townspeople, to which the extent of this social gap was revealed when most accusers were noticed to be from the farming families and most of the accused turned out to be those involved in higher marketing. The Puritans have also had a history of despising “unholy fraternizing,” a concept that compelled them to first leave the Church of England when church membership became extended to those who were not visible saints, then Holland in fear that “Dutchification” would corrupt the next generation’s pure values. This concept explained Salem’s determined drive to rid itself of “the devil’s influence” so that it may become holy again (especially since the colony had begun to experience a weakening of religious fervor). On the contrary, this alleged noble cause included the deprivation of fair trials. Nevertheless, the town’s paranoia fueled the ulterior motives of the people in power, as they saw the continuation of the trials as a way to help them remain in authority and protect their personal reputations. Lastly, because Salem wasn’t exactly a huge plot of land, the townspeople could only possess so many acres. Individuals craved for more to broaden their living and competed with each other for land (as dramatized in “The Crucible” when a man utilized witch accusations in order to obtain his neighbors’ property for his daughter’s inheritance).

Massachusetts in 1692, went through dark times that almost caused this area to destroy itself. The Puritan's world views greatly conflicted their society and caused great consequences. First, the Puritans were greatly obsessed with making everything pure, so when they learned that the "devil" was lurking in the forest and possessing people, the Puritans felt a duty to purify; second, their religious views transferred to the justice system, which made these Witch trials extremely unfair; third, status was very important to many during this time, this influenced many to make immoral decisions.Thus their own world views consequently, caused a crazy witch hunt, in which nineteen individuals were falsely accused of witch craft and were executed. The Puritan's need to purify was greatly influential in the Salem Witch Trials. Because of these claims of a witch "infestation", they began "exterminate" those found guilty by the spectral evidence. This "infestation" was really people accused by those either trying to gain something from that person or were just a scapegoat. If those accused did not accept that they were a Witch they would be "exterminated" which meant that they were hanged. Because religious views were tied with the justice system, these scapegoats were in an unfair trial. These religious judges relied on spectral or invisible evidence to pinpoint the witches. There were all false accusations. Status caused many Puritans to act immorally. Whenever one was accused of being a Witch, no one would help. Their fear of being accused themselves, caused them to go with the accusation even if they did not believe in Witches. Even the status of the judges effected these trials, for the judges would get recognised for this "problem" that was occurring in Massachusetts.These judges, thus went along with the Witch craft nonsense. The Puritan's world views caused many deaths and issues during this time. Whether they believed in Witches or not their world views had consequence.

In the year 1692, seventy years after their settlement in Plymouth Bay, the people of Salem showed that humans can be both greedy and incredibly stupid as shown by The Witch Trials. First, the puritans had a very self-centered world view, believing that they alone were keeping the Devil from running rampant in the world; second, the geographical location of Salem had it pinned against 3,000 miles of the Atlantic ocean and a “Devilish” forrest, as such, farmland was in short supply; thirdly, social status was defined by your land or your credibility as a judge, judges and farmers alike used the Witch trials to manipulate their status and others statuses.

Puritans were the religious group that left Britain to separate from the Church of England. After staying in Holland for a while they left for fear that their children were becoming less English and more Dutch. So the headed for America and landed in Plymouth Bay in 1630 in present day Massachusetts. They found a place to live but they also had a large forrest in their backyards. The Puritans had a belief that the Devil lived in forests, they also believed that they were the ones that held the power to keep the Devil at bay in his forest. Still believing this all their lives, 70 years later the Devil would “brake out” of the forest and have “witches” start showing up in the community, starting the witch hunts and witch trials. Having the “Devilish” forest in their backyard and the Atlantic ocean on their doorstep, farmland was in short supply. Farmland was needed to provide for your family, as well as a physical representation of your social status. Farmers had a constant desire for more farmland, and some used the witch trials to scheme against others and take their land. An example is of Thomas Putnam, who told his daughter to accuse his neighbor, Giles Coree a wealthy farmer with lots of land, of witchcraft so he could take his land. Coree was then questioned and tortured by placing large stones on his chest. He speak a word because the whole thing was ridiculous and was crushed to death. Statuses were not only important to farmers but the judges of the trials as well. After a few trials the judges found out that the whole witch idea was a scam for self gain. However, people had already been killed as witches. Not wanting to lose their good statuses as judges, false confessions were asked by the accused so the judges could avoid looking like fools. Citizens faced public humiliation if they gave those confessions, favoring hanging over humiliation. Eventually a judges wife was accused of witchcraft and the judge discontinued the trials for ever. Saddest of all, people believed the witch scam as a real attack from the Devil. Their world view told they were the only ones capable of stopping the “witch outbreak” and if they didn’t the whole world would fall to “the Devil.” The ones who set up the sham were willing to indirectly murder their neighbor for personal gain. Two of the worst traits of human nature, stupidity and selfishness, can completely destroy communities. As Salem nearly was.

In 1620, the Puritans settled in a place called Plymouth, now recognized as Massachusetts. Seventy-two years after they settled there, a large brouhaha occured called the Salem Witch Trials. The worldview of the Puritans was in truth the whole reason the superstition arose in their society and in time cause their people to go daft or in simpler terms, crazy. "Those who are definitely Christian believers, therefore, should seek out other Christians and gather together to make up a particular church." A large problematic view that was highly abundant in the Crucible was that they believed the children were completely innocent and pure. Well in truth, they really weren't as seen in the movie and often spread lies to get themselves out of trouble because they were tired of the way they were being used by their parents. Though alot of the Trials were mostly held because of superstition, a number of people participated and accused others of commiting witchcraft for the sake of getting new land. Because logically when you look at the trials held in Salem, people would accuse others with land next to them in hopes they'd be guilty and they could get their property for their own. The court itself that was judging the "eligible" people was corrupt. Reverend Paris from the Crucible had quite alot of background due to his father who was a great judge and therefore had some pressure pushing down on his shoulders. Therefore, he often claims anyone who's all for the good of Christianity shouldn't mess with his court, and that the people are with him. Thus, their religion was ultimately what raised them high and made them receive so many believers in the Puritan belief, and at the same time it was also their ultimate weakness and the bane of their existence because of the superstition and other factors that the religion possessed.

Michael Ruiz said...The Puritans view of the world was mainly formed when John Calvin wrote his basic doctrine in 1536, named the Institutions of the Christian Religion. Calvin taught three things within his book. First, that God was all-powerful and all-good; Second, humans, because of the corrupting effect of original sin, were weak and wicked; Third, God was also all-knowing and he knew who was going to Heaven and who was going to Hell, who had been destined for eternal bliss and who for eternal torment. The Puritans’ belief in these principles and that good works could not lead them to an eternal abundance. This is because they believe that their places in the afterlife were already chosen and nothing could save those who have been marked for the infernal fires. By these three things that Calvin taught, the Puritans were given a certain view of the world. They see the world’s destiny as something that was already planned and as something that is unable to be changed. This gave them a very limited perspective of their lives and this led them to make some judgments that they would come to regret, and some that would please them. First, in 1692, just 72 years after “purifying” Massachusetts, an abominable episode stamped as the Salem Witchcraft Trials had begun and left a gash in the history of Puritan successes. Although these trials were a step back in Salem and Puritan productivity, it had also greatly contributed to the ending of Witch Trials in all areas that participated in them and utterly ended the use of “spectral evidence”. Second, the Puritans were actively participating in God’s call to do his work, in an act called “Protestant ethnic”. This act gave those that took part in it simple pleasures that kept them happy and willing to do the work. Third, as many Puritans had changed, the people can visibly tell the downfall of the Puritan ways. As they gained success, their increased sense of pride led to a decrease in religious piety. While this is only one of several examples of how Puritans began to change, there are many others that greatly affect Puritan history. In conclusion, the Puritans’ narrow view of the world led to paranoia and their desire to “purify” the Earth.

Believing that the Church of England was corrupt and unlawful, a group of disgruntled citizens pulled together and formed new independent local churches in their new homeland, America. The separatists, who eventually acclimated the name Congregationalists, had one group leave England for Holland in 1608, and in 1620 some of them settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Plymouth Separatists cooperated with the Puritans, a group of people who grew discontent in the Church of England and worked towards religious, moral and societal reforms, who had settled at Massachusetts Bay. In England the Puritans had hoped to purify the Church of England, but in New England they accepted the congregational form of church government in which each local church was independent. Thus, the churches of the Separatists and the Puritans became the Congregationalists of the United States. These views, of course, were not always similar to what they were then. The Puritans had a strong allegiance to the Church of England, and it took almost 30 innocent deaths in the Salem Witch trials to have them get their heads out of the dirt and realize what was really going on. The Church had only its own interests in mind and were almost completely disregarding the law of the bible. A fundamental belief of the Separatists was the idea of the gathered church, which was made based on all of what they thought was the wrongdoings of the Church of England. Separatists believed that the foundation of the church was God’s Spirit, not man or the state. In an attempt to ‘purify’ the church and their own lives, the Puritans stripped away at the traditional bindings and formalities of Christianity which had been slowly building throughout the years. The Puritans believed that the bible was God’s true law, and that it provided a plan for the living.

In 1692, seventy-two years after the Puritans settled in what is now Massachusetts, the New England colony ran into some serious consequences due to the worldview their religion created. The Salem Witch Trial, in which 20 individuals were killed, is an example of a result brought on by the New England Puritans’ beliefs. First, the colony’s communal sense of pride built up their belief that their settlement was positioned high above others in comparison, and ultimately swelled Salem’s feeling of prominence; second, because of the pressure and expectations their religion placed on them exemplified in John Winthrop’s model of Christian Clarity; third, Puritan theocracy was based more on justice for the society than the individual. Through their interpretations of the Bible, the Puritans came to believe that children were totally innocent, and their word was to be taken seriously. This was an indescribably important aspect of the witchcraft trials, because every case was brought to light, more or less, by the word of a child. Wishing to escape punishment for not following rules, as well as wanting to work on their own terms, the adolescent girls of Salem Village accused men and women of the community of witchcraft to have even a smidgeon of a voice. Initially, if anyone would have negated a claim made by a child, they would have been labeled a witch, for contradicting what the Puritans believed the Bible said. Because of these claims of a witch "infestation", they began "exterminate" those found guilty by the spectral evidence. This "infestation" was really people accused by those either trying to gain something from that person or were just a scapegoat. If those accused did not accept that they were a Witch they would be "exterminated" which meant that they were hanged. Because religious views were tied with the justice system, these scapegoats were in an unfair trial.

Between 1620 and 1692 the Puritan colony of Plymouth underwent phenomenal changes that would affect the generations of Americans that would come after them. The Puritans were separatists were previous England religious dissenters who first migrated to Holland and later to the New World where they sought out a safe community where they could practice their beliefs openly without persecution from the Crown. In some ways the strictly Puritan Colony of Plymouth were isolated from their mother country and became more and more superstitious which led to the Salem Witch trials in 1692 seventy years after the first colonists had landed . First of all the original settlers left behind a way of life that would be strictly puritan and would be strictly followed by the next generations; secondly their purpose in life was to live as a good Puritan and be a good example to others to others in the community, serve the crown by adhering to their rules, and die as a good Puritan; and thirdly the community leaders had to be the best of Puritans and serve as the arbiter of justice in the court, but the golden rule for any Puritan leader is that you had to keep the traditional way of life their parents had taught them to keep the colony of Salem as pure as possible. Perhaps some of these colonists saw those trials as an opportunity to gain something and maybe at least half of the accusations were faked. Therefore the Salem Witch Trials, in which twenty innocent regular and everyday people were unjustly murdered could have been avoided but with the combined elements of their social, economical, and political way of life something similar to the Salem Witch Trials was eventually was bound to happen but the scary period of time led to laws that would protect a person’s rights in the court.

In 1620 the Puritans ended their pilgrimage of searching for a new home when they landed upon the banks of America, in 1630 they officially established the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and in 1692 the very same right to religious freedom they sought after seventy years ago allowed the rights of several individuals to be severely compromised without any shape or form of legitimate justification. The Salem Witch Trials is an event that best exemplifies the extremities that can be reached when following these Protestant views of life and beyond. Such a tragic monument in this country’s history came about due to the Puritans maintaining a blind, ignorant sense of faith within their own children and how their belief to keep all things up to their standards of purity increased to an almost psychotic passion. These ferocious flames of self-righteousness originally grew to be so overpowering and out of control when John Withrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” reached their grasp. At the time, the church was a significant centerpiece in the system of the settlement’s government and way of ruling. In fact, it almost revolved around it. So, little to no difficulty existed in the religious article’s venture to a tight and devious grasp on the sanity of the colonists. And such an iron like grip it had. Without sagacity, without sound judgment, without any true sense of exactly what they were doing, any figure or form of safety for anyone disappeared throughout the town in correlation with the previously mentioned capture of sanity by Withrop’s article. It was here where the opinions of those who were not previously taken into much account suddenly gained an active voice in the community, such as women and children. So, old and new grudges of those who abused them-because the Puritan beliefs allowed it-began to boil back up to the surface, each one striking in a wave of vengeance with every point of the finger. People were finally getting a chance to have a significant say in how things went, and most of them soon turned into power hungry predators, accusing anyone over the littlest thing that did not benefit them. It is fortunate that these cruel executions had stopped at the life count of 20, because, had this not been the case, the people of Salem village would have continued to trim away at the perceived imperfections of their society until not a single person remained standing.

In 1692, the Puritan colonists who had left England seventy years earlier, underwent a major crisis in order to rid themselves of supposed evils. Captivated by the idea that there might be witches on the loose the colonists strived to secure that theses "witches" would do no harm, no matter what the cost- which today one might perceive as insane- but the reasoning behind the actions of the colonists can be explained if one takes a careful look at their dominant Puritan worldview. First, the colonists believed they had to constantly purify their religion; second, because the settlers formed a tight knit society, nearby land was quickly taken leaving many hungry for more; and third, Puritans had built themselves up to being that perfect society and they could not risk the chance of anyone ruining that reputation. Therefore, for these specific reasons, the small community of Salem underwent terrible horrors during the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The Puritan Separatists originally left England in 1608 for Holland in order to separate themselves and their children from the destruction in the Church of England. In 1620, they relocated once again in setting sail for the New World. They wanted to be able to clean up their religion and establish a perfect society based on the will of God. This Puritan zeal diminished as more immigrants came over from Europe, which made the original colonists want to clean out all the new evils that had surfaced. Because of this mindset, it comes as no surprise that when rumors of witchcraft began to trickle through Salem that the colonists were quick to wanting to put an end to them. Also, the colonists were squeezed into a small area where land was becoming scarce as more people joined the colony. Once the Witchcraft Trials broke out, settlers completely took advantage of the situation by accusing people whose land they wanted. Although this is by all means unjust and wrong, there was no one to s John Winthrop's words, was "a city upon a hill" meaning that it was supposed to set an example for the entire world to follow. top them. The attitude of the time was "guilty until proven innocent" and it became virtually impossible to prove innocence when the entire community was turned against one individual. The Massachusetts Colony, in John Winthrop's words, was "a city upon a hill" meaning that it was the example for the entire world to follow. The pastors of this society, as exemplified in Arthur Miller's fictional play the Crucible, had put their reputations on the line in building the perfect Puritan society and they could not let it crumble before their eyes. They had to go through with the Witch Trials and prove what they were doing benefited the entire community even though privately they knew it was wrong. So, because of these narrow minded and selfish worldviews, the Salem colonists brought about a time of cruel horrors.

In 1620 around a hundred Puritan colonists landed in modern day Massachusetts and established Plymouth, in 1692, around 70 years later, these same people, were at each other’s throats in Salem village, accusing people of committing witch-craft. This dramatic change was because of their world view and this event was inevitable because of many factors on which the community was based. First, the society which developed, was based on Puritanism, and developed an idea that the rights of the society came before the rights of the individual; second, the Puritans had a very selfish view and used the trials to manipulate their possessions and money positions; thirdly, the leaders believed that they must stop the spread of witch-craft and the “Devil.” Therefore, because of the social and political reasons the Puritan community nearly imploded. First, because the society was based on Puritanism, gave rights to the society and took them away from the individual. This Puritan attitude is shown in The Crucible, when the Judge punishes John Proctor for disturbing the judging process and by possibly having information that would prove all of the trials false. Because of this challenging of authority and a move that the judge thinks would create chaos, they take away the right of the individual in order to try and keep control for the society. The reason for this attitude is because of their literal beliefs about parts of the Bible. One of these verses is in Matthew 18:8 “And if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hand or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” The leaders take this too literally in believing that if one part of the body, or church, causes you to sin (alleged witch-craft) then it is better to get rid of them than the whole church to be in trouble of witch-craft. Second, the Puritanism view was flawed because the people would turn against each other to gain land and settle old scores. The society was very strict and did not allow for people to venture out and talk to others and settle their scores. Because of this, when the witch-trials came, the people used that to settle their personal scores. Also the people used the trials to gain land because farming land was very hard to come by in Massachusetts. Because of this the people would accuse someone with land in order to gain their neighbors lands. This is shown in the crucible when the people start to turn against many with lots of land in order to gain land. Because of the selfishness of the society, the Puritans almost imploded. Thirdly, the leaders believed that it was their job to stop the spread of the devil and that they must stop him at Salem. Because of this idea of self-righteousness the leaders had this idea that they had to get rid of the threat of witches otherwise they would lose the battle against the devil. Because of this the leaders believed they were doing good in accusing the people, even though there was not any substantial evidence. This idea of self righteousness also gave the leaders that it was “their” job to be in power and keep control of the people, and if it was necessary they could get rid of individuals in order to try and keep order in the community.The Puritan theology and world view was flawed and they very nearly imploded, and did kill 20 innocent people. This event happened because of the Puritans flawed world view. First, the society which developed, was based on Puritanism, and developed an idea that the rights of the society came before the rights of the individual; second, the Puritans had a very selfish view and used the trials to manipulate their possessions and money positions; thirdly, the leaders believed that they must stop the spread of witch-craft and the “Devil.” These factors nearly led to an event like what took place on Donner Pass were people consumed each other and imploded and lost all humanity and sanity.

In the early seventeenth century, when separatists were first colonizing America they could not have known the destruction their views would cause when misinterpreted. It started with a misconstrued version of their beliefs and views that nearly destroyed the community in Salem seventy-two years after they first landed. First, they believed that socially, America “shall be as a city upon a hill” and a beacon of light to the world; Secondly, demographically, they had a belief that the forests around them contained the Devil and therefore they were very crowded trying to stay away from them; and third, the reputation of important people in the community were in jeopardy. Thus, for social, demographic, and political reasons, the 1690’s community of Salem was almost destroyed. John Winthrop wrote in his book Modell of Christian Charity that America “shall be as a city upon a hill: The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world: we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for God's sake.” Early on many people took heed to Winthrop’s warning, but as time went on the community of Salem forgot the second part of his message and only focused on “be as a city upon a hill.” This idea combined with the belief that the Devil was always among them trying to tempt them, helped amplify the feeling that the world depended on their community to rid themselves of the Devil. Also, they believed that the Satan and his minions lived in the forest, because they live in colonial America they are literally surrounded by forest, making possessions all the more real. Again because of their fear of the forest they seemed to stay as far away from it as possible, causing them to become crowded and starting neighborhood brawls for land. The witch hunt gave people who held grudges the excuse they needed to exact their revenge and this was the reason of many of the accusations. One other thing that really continued the witch hunt after it had started was, once the minister and judge figured out that there wasn’t any real possessions in that area they knew that they had to keep the trials going because if everyone found out that it was fake then their reputations would be ruined. All of this craziness in Salem started with a misinterpreted view of the Separatists’ beliefs.

Beckett LeePeriods 3 and 4In the year 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, the influence of a group of English settlers known as the Puritans created a dark event in American history. The Puritans were so heavily indoctrinated in their “purifying” form of Christianity, that their desire to purify the Earth made the Salem Witchcraft Trials nearly inevitable, considering the multitudes of factors that defined them. First, the Puritans designed their society based on religious piety and the complete elimination of all things “demonic” and evil; second, the lack of land available between the ocean and the dark forests that contained threatening Native Americans and, supposedly, the devil, created economic rivalries over land between the Puritans who fought each other and manipulated the trials for their own financial gain; third, the development of new social classes, the reduction in religious piety, and the economic pressures drove the leaders of the Puritans within Salem to believe that they were all that stood between the devil and world domination. Thus, the social, economic, and political battles created the war against the devil, known as the Salem Witchcraft Trials, in Salem. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were greatly influenced by the social structure of the Puritans during this time period. Their society was based on religious brotherhood and “Christian Charity” as described by John Winthrop in his “Model of Christian Charity.” The religious leaders were the primary source of leadership. This combination of the church and state would allow the legal system of Salem to have jurisdiction over religious and invisible evidence. The social hierarchy under the religious leaders was determined by land ownership as is demonstrated in the historically based play The Crucible where John Proctor was introduced by name and acreage in an attempt to make the judges respect him and his judgment. This led to the economic conflicts created by the Puritan beliefs. The economic structure of Salem greatly affected the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Having very little fertile land between the Atlantic Ocean and the “dark” forests containing the Native American threat, the Puritans faced a highly competitive quest for land. This would have a great influence during the Salem Witchcraft Trials because the trials would become an excuse for people to begin accusing their fellow Puritans in an attempt to take their forfeited land. This is demonstrated in The Crucible when one of the wealthy landowners and pastors accused a man of obstruction of justice and deliberately trying to discredit him in an attempt to take a fertile piece of land. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were in many ways a political scheme by the religious leaders to maintain their power so they could fight the devil. The leaders of Salem had power from the church which they used to determine matters of the state. The use of spectral or invisible evidence allowed them to determine legal matters with religious evidence which was frequently manipulated to allow the judges to maintain power. They believed that this was necessary because it allowed them to fight the devil. This is exhibited perfectly in the dramatization of these events, The Crucible, because it gives an insight into the motivations of the judges in the decisions that they made. The politics involved in the Salem Witchcraft Trials exacerbated the problems already created by the social and economic causes. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were heavily influenced by the social, economic, and political nuances of the Puritan society. Their strong belief in an aggressive devil created a society that was ripe for internal strife. Their economic competition increased these conflicts with human greed. The political leaders of Salem were forced to conclude that they must be the ones to solve the problems in Salem and, by doing so, begin the purification of the world. In their attempts to stop the devil from affecting their society, the Puritans did the work for him with the deaths they caused.

The Salem Witchcraft Trials in the town of Salem, 1692, was a series of trials, taking place in Massachusetts that killed many innocent lives and almost tore an entire community apart as a result. By examining the trial’s process, these gruesome trials can be seen as the assuring consequence of the Puritan’s way of thinking and their spiritual views the moment their people landed on the beaches of Plymouth in 1620. First, the Puritans’ clergymen were to be the higher members of the church and therefore the most trusted. Second, the settlers believed that they were the first “pure” settlement compared to all others to arrive in the Americas0, and their quest to “purify” the world from the Devil in their dark surroundings. Third, the growing population of the colonies created a concern to find converts, resulting in the Half-Way-Covenant, accepting partial members into the church. Thus, by examining political, social, and economic reasons, this desire to slay, hang, or crush witches, almost destroyed the community of Salem. The political theocracy system in the Separatist communities held clergymen at the highest level, they were able to make decisions for the town and rules as well to maintain peace in the town. Their opinions were, therefore, highly trusted and looked upon, as was Reverend Parris’, Cotton Mather, and the other clergymen, who pointed fingers to prevent their reputation from going in jeopardy. This shows that the judges were willing to commit any lie or crime to keep the attention away from them. This would then lead to completely pointless deaths of many people in the town. The Separatist Puritans wanted nothing to do with the Church of England and its corrupt ways; they wished to be the symbol of religious purity and peace. This effort to do so caused any possibilities of “evil” to be intolerable in the towns.John Winthrop, founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, spoke that they “must consider that [they]... shall be as a city upon a hill”, showing that there was a feeling of pressure to pursue that purity, dismembering the town members in the attempts. Such a pursuit is futile, and the real issue was dealing with the truth that evil couldn’t be destroyed or removed permanently. As more immigrants arrived in the Americas over time, their populations were beginning to outgrow the Puritan communities, and converts were shortening in numbers over time. In order to gain more converts, the Half-Way Covenant was issued in New England in 1662, elevating the new converts to a partial membership of the church, and giving all a voice, including the “innocent” children and women. As a result, the women convicted in the church at Salem thirty years later were considered innocent, and through deception countless deaths of the innocent occurred because of Abigail Williams. Through gullible acts and pure lack of consideration on the subjects, important members almost considered as above as the clergymen were considered innocent and bewitched. The Salem Witch Trials consisted of the most tragic deaths and most questionable trials in American history. Through social, economic, and political factors, the trials were prolonged for so long because of the strive to keep one’s reputation, the pursuit for the perfect colony, and the willingness to accept any converts. The Puritan worldview of the world and their pursuits to be recognized as to hold foundations of the world were ultimately their downfall, in one of the most questionable procedures that was conducted through lies and the very evil they wished to purge.

In 1620, approximately 50 separatists departed from their home town in Holland and arrived on the coast of New England with a world view that would soon essentially abolish their own population. This cataclysm is known as “The Salem Witch Trials”, which were a series of accusations of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts, and was in essence bound to arise considering their Puritanical beliefs. First, the Puritans of that time had a belief that Satan and his spirits were bustling in the forests and amongst the settlers; second, the puritans had a strong sense of self worth and aimed to keep their reputation high; third, the people in power believed that the colonies must conserve their social, economic, and political status or else the Devil will have his will with the land. Therefore, in 1692, the Puritan beliefs of Satan, self worth, and colonial status backfired in a drastic manner. Much of the settlers in colonial Massachusetts believed strongly in the Devil and his works, therefore, many believed that a large quantity of the colonial misfortunes were the work of Satan. The population of the New England colonies broke out into huge quarrels and people blamed their fellow settlers of witchcraft as exemplified in the 1996 film The Crucible. 19 people were legally hung in 1692 which demonstrates how firmly the Puritans believed that these people were bewitched. Self worth played a major role in the accusations of the Puritan settlers, for much of the accused were affiliated with Salem’s market economy and being thought of as a witch will serve no help to their cause. The separatists believed that colonies possessed by witches and demons would not gain a good reputation in commerce and trade, so the colonial status was preserved by the hanging of much of the accused. The Puritan principles of the existence of Satan, social status, and commercialism all nearly led to an eradication of the colonies. These hysterical events summarize how the separatists of New England’s world view nearly drove America to extinction.

Ryan VolkmanThe puritans set sail for the Americas in 1620, and made their settlement at Plymouth. Seventy two years later, they almost destroyed their community of Salem with the Salem witchcraft trials. In the 1530s King Henry VII separated the Roman Catholic Church from the Church of England, making himself the head of the new Church. A group of people know as Puritans from the church had a worldview of the change in a good way but didn’t like how slow the “weeding” of the Church of England was taking to make it fully de-Catholicized. They wanted the changing to go faster and wanted to purify it to every extent and decided to separate themselves from the rest of the church. They wanted to escape the harassment from James I who was the king, and to purify the Church, so they decided to move to Holland in 1608. They realized they didn’t like the atmosphere that they were living in and raising their children in, they were in poverty and feared for the future generations of the Puritan community that they would eventually fall away from the Church and become more Dutch than Puritan. Twelve years later they decided to escape the city and sail to the Americas. In 1620 they landed and established their new settlement at Plymouth. Seventy-Two years later the views of the church and extreme ways of the Puritans, which had increased to trying to purify themselves and everything around them, was still the base of their society. This caused the Salem Witchcraft trials, in which Twenty people were executed because they all turned on each other in fear of the devil, to try and keep everybody pure by killing the “possessed”. Therefore, every time the Puritans had the worldview that they were more pure than the surrounding area they either moved to somewhere with worse conditions or looked at themselves harder and picked out what they thought were bad “seeds”.

In the late 1600s the Salem witchcraft trails were taking place in the town of Salem in the state of Massachusetts this series of events caused many misunderstandings and many deaths. First the Puritan’s had a belief or some sort of feeling saying that the woods and the forests were a very bad place to be because the devil resides deep into the forest. As in the Crucible the forest was the target destination for the girls magic/voodoo love potion spell, and the girls hesitated to say what they where doing in the woods at such an hour. Even though that the woods may be dark and creepy and many creatures lurk in the shadows of the dark , there may be a slight chance that Satan or the Devil isn’t hiding underneath a rock waiting to ponce on you. Second they had the feeling that they were the town that could rid the world of the devil and if they didn’t then the whole entire world would be doomed. In the Crucible everyone was in a sort of a panic-sate because they had thought that there were actual witches running ramped through their little town of Salem. All of the town’s girls would out on fake acts to make the townspeople on edge and going so far to put certain people to death. Third the people of the town would turn against each other out of revenge, land, or just their pure hatred for that particular individual. Many innocent people had died because of the greed or jealousy many people had in their hearts for one another. Not to mention two innocent dogs were killed during the Salem Witchcraft Trials that must have been a sad day for mankind. Making reference to the Crucible once again many people accused one another to get their land or just have them killed because they were jealous. For example the ‘grandmother’ figure in the Crucible, Rebecca Towne Nurse, was seized with hysteria over witchcraft and the supposed presence of Satan within the colony.

In 1692, the God-fearing separatists (Puritans) who colonized New England 72 years earlier, went through a phase of horror known as the Salem Witch Trials, which took place in Salem, Massachusetts. These “Witch hunts” caused the deaths of twenty people, and they were caused by a variety of selfish reasons. First, the Puritans had developed a strict and intolerant religious system that desired to maintain its high standard of religious zeal. By the mid-seventeenth century, a new sermon called the “jeremiad” began to be heard. This view scolded believers for their strong piety, and Puritan Church officials became alarmed at the decline in conversions. This led to the Half-Way covenant in 1662, which widened church participation by providing people with partial membership rights. The distinction between the elected church members and other society members then grew, making the strict and zealous values of the Puritans harder to maintain. Therefore, suspicions and tensions between societies grew among the Puritan churches, and it was a prerequisite for the witch trials in which the church was fighting off the “devil.” Second, the growing population in the Massachusetts area led to more dispersed farms and competition for land. Not only was there little fertile land due to New England’s rocky soil, but geographically the Puritans were squeezed between the Atlantic and the “devilish” forests. This led to fierce land competition, and people were willing to go to any means in order to acquire more land. When the suspicion of witchcraft became the prominent issue, some Puritans accused their neighbors of this blasphemy, and used legal lynching of as a way acquiring more land. An example of this takes place in The Crucible, when a particular landowner sees value in another man’s fertile land, and accuses the man of witchcraft. Third, church officials and judges felt a need to establish a legitimacy for themselves through “fighting the devil.” When the congregation started to become more tolerant and less devoted to the faith, church clergymen saw this as a work of the devil, but also as a threat to their position and power over the community. By initiating the Salem Witch Trials, these “top dogs” were able to control the society in many aspects through fear, but also through incorporating religious issues into court rulings, giving them more power. This is exemplified through a scene in The Crucible. After John Proctor confesses to witchcraft, the Reverend Paris also wants him to nail his confessions to the church door for all to see. The Reverend saw this as an act to establish his legitimacy as a judge. Therefore, acts by church officials and judges during the Salem Witch trials were taken in mostly self-interest. Thus, the strict and intolerant Puritan society, the population growth which spurned land competition, and the selfish motives of church clergymen all served a purpose of causing or escalating the Salem Witch Trials.

In the year of 1692, in the Massachusetts village of Salem, intolerance, hysteria, and reputation tore an entire community apart, and in the extremely religious Puritan community of Salem, their world view was greatly limited, which is what ultimately leads to the village of Salem tearing itself from the inside out. This world view caused the hysteria of the witch trials in three major ways; firstly, due to the severe austerity of the Puritan community, anything that was different, frightening, or surprising was often attributed to the devil and his minions, thus stirring up the suspicions of witchcraft; secondly, due to the belief of predestination Puritans held, those that were born into a lower rung were destined to stay within that rung, however the trials gave these people the power to accuse one another, leading to old grudges and jealousies fueling the hysteria in Salem; and thirdly seeing the world as spiritual versus secular, the judicial system was greatly influenced by Puritanism,thus making it more vulnerable to the hysteria within the village. The Puritan's worldview was, in fact, the main reason for the idea of witchcraft being implanted into the minds of Salem's villagers, since it's own hostility to anything wavering from the norm caused people to search for an explanation of the unfathomable. The shallow austerity of the community led to witchcraft and the devil being used as a scapegoat for greater problems within the village. Thus, it is clear that their religion was what skewed their world view the most, and at the same time it was their greatest weakness because of the superstition that the religion held. In conclusion, the intense, austere beliefs that Puritans hold to create a “pure” haven for "true" Christians lasting 72 years, finally erupting in the hysteria of the Salem Witchcraft Trials.

In 1962, after seventy years had passed after the Mayflower arriving in part of modern-day Massachusetts, the Pilgrim’s descendants in Salem almost tore apart their community. From a modern perspective, it is evident that the Salem Witchcraft Trials were an inevitable tragedy. First, the Pilgrims had founded their communities on a “puritanical” social foundation which their descendants had kept; second, they were in a crowded area between the sea and the “satanic” forests, so they were forced to try to get as much farmland as possible; and third, the political “status quo” needed to be maintained by those in power, they believed all of Salem would “fall to the devil” if they failed. Therefore for social, economic, and political causes, the town of Salem nearly destroyed itself under the pretense of witch-hunting which led to the deaths of 20 people. The first cause of the Salem Witchcraft Trials was the Puritan society that existed in Salem. The Pilgrims were Puritans that decided the Anglican Church was corrupt to the extent that it was best to leave to Holland where people were more tolerant, however, once here, their children started becoming too Dutch in their parent’s eyes. They went to the Americas to get away from it and seventy years later, their descendants kept the same beliefs. Such beliefs included a huge fear of the devil and all those who may have “signed a pact” with Satan and could easily lead to ‘witch-hunting.’ Devil was also thought to be in the forest. This religion the community shared could easily be used as an excuse for other things as the next reason shows.The second cause of witch-hunting was the crowded space Salem existed in, right in between the ‘devilish’ forest and the sea. People were constantly in need and want of getting more farmland as made evident in the trial of Giles Corey. The Putnams wanted his land so Ann Putnam accused Giles of witchcraft in attempt to have him confess, in which case the land would be auctioned off. Giles neither denied nor confirmed the accusation so his land was kept by his family. Despite the fallacy of the accusation, he was crushed to death in judicial torture. Now, during the witch-trials there were people who wanted it to stop but the accusers weren’t the only ones to benefit from them.The third reason for the trials, and the reason they went on for quite some time, is that those in power wanted to keep the “status quo.” Reverend Parris had in part started the madness when his slave, Tituba, was accused of being a witch, once girls began pretending to in pain by an invisible force, as she often told stories of magic and did voodoo. Tituba admitted to witchcraft but also named others in an attempt to save herself. Parris allowed the trials as they would draw attention away from him as he was unpopular for wanting fancy ornaments for the church. Once the witch hunting started, the judge and other officials didn’t want to admit it was all a sham as they would be discredited themselves. The hunt continued from this and was even fueled in the interest of self-gain. It wasn’t until several of the accused started refusing to confess or deny the charges that the trials finally had to come to an end.The combination of social, economic, and political reasons caused the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Once started, they continued until escalating to the point where they couldn’t be kept up anymore. The irony of it all was that the lie was based off fear of the devil and all that is wrong, even though this lie was created from greed and self-interest.

In 1620 the Puritans who escaped persecution in England sailed to the New World after spending 12 years in Holland. As a result of their very rigid and holy beliefs the Separatists felt that it was their responsibility to cleanse their world of sin especially with the "devilish" forest being so near their settlement. First, their belief that children were pure, innocent, and honest led to paranoia and unrealistic fear of evil; Second, the loss of control once the religious fervor ended and the birth of the Half-Way Covenant; Thirdly, the settlers had established a "puritanical" social foundation. Therefore, the Separatists received their sense of duty to cleanse the world in order to protect their innocent children, from the lurking evil spirits that came from the Half-Way Covenant, and social reasons. To expand on this, the Puritans belief in children being pure and innocent came directly from the Bible and so they naturally believed that this was true. But during the Salem Witchcraft Trials, which happened 72 years after they first landed, it was the children who were spouting tales of evil and witchcraft. Because they feigned to being bewitched in view of the public, 20 innocent people died. The people of Salem, unfortunately, actually believed that they were fighting off evil especially because they had to protect the children from the evil. The Salem Witchcraft Trials occurred 30 years after the Half-Way Covenant was made. Through the Half-Way Covenant church membership was extended to the “impure” because the tight grip that the Puritan belief had on people was loosened and because of the church extension to those that were impure, this therefore soiled the Protestant way of life and proved to be just totally unacceptable to the Separatists since they had established a very puritanical foundation for their colonies due to the religious zeal at the time.

In 1692, seven decades after a group of English separatists established the Plymouth colony; the puritans that occupy this colony begin a steady decay of their own community of Salem through the ousting of their neighbors and friends as witches. With Salem’s ever intensifying plight against the devil, the community began to single individuals out and accusing them of the practice of witchcraft; through today’s standards the actions exhibited by the settlers may seem rash, but if placed into the mindset of these puritans, what they did to protect their community could not have been helped. First, the settlers were economically constrained by the lack of available land surrounding their settlement because on one side, was the coastline, and on the other was vast forests, which the puritans believed harbored the devil; second, the colonists shared a devote “puritanistic” view of how the social aspects of the colony should operate; and third, the colonists utopian society had to maintain its image, no matter what it took. Thus, with no way of escaping it, the colonists had to endure the unjust witchcraft trails of Salem...

Nick PalmaresPer.1,4In 1692, 72 years after the Puritans settled in what is now Massachusetts, the New England colony encountered some serious problems due to the worldview their religion created. 20 individuals were killed in the Salem Witch Trails, which was a result of the New England Puritans’ beliefs. The Puritans were separatists were previous England religious dissenters who first migrated to Holland and later to the New World where they sought out a safe community where they could practice their beliefs openly. strictly Puritan Colony of Plymouth were isolated from their mother country and became more and more superstitious which led to the Salem Witch trials in 1692. original settlers left behind a way of living that would be strictly puritan and would be accurately followed by the next generations. Next, their purpose in life was to live as a good Puritan and be a good example to others to others in the society. Lastly, the society leaders had to be the best of Puritans and serve as the judge of justice in the court, but the #1 rule for any Puritan leader is that you had to keep the traditional way of life their parents had taught them to keep the colony of Salem as pure and as genuine as possible. possibly some of these colonists saw those trials as an opportunity to gain something and maybe at least half of the accusations were not real and was fake. 20 innocent normal everyday people were unlawfully murdered could have been avoided but with the combined elements of their social, economical, and political way of life. and as a result of stupidity and selfishness, they nearly completely destroyed the Salem society.

In the year 1620 a group of a hundred two Puritan settlers had ended their journey on the Mayflower when they had formed Plymouth in what is now known as Massachusetts. Seventy years later, in 1692, a tragic event that struck these people with paranoia took place in the small town of Salem known as The Salem Witchcraft Trials. These same Puritans were responsible for essentially destroying their community when trying to rid of evil. First, these settlers had established a pure social status; second, decisions and power were in the hands of the children; and third, the entitlement of land between the sea and the “satanic” forest. Therefore social, power, and economic were reasons Salem was destroyed for the sense of witch-craft and consorting with the “Devil.” In a small town like Salem, social status is everything. One mistake can either mean your family will be faced with public humiliation, or other consequences. In the situation of Reverend Samuel Paris, his slave Tituba had been accused of witch-craft and being possessed making her a witch. Paris had hoped that if he would go along with the trials that the attention would no longer be on him. At this time, power was in the hands of the children and was believed to be the most innocent of all, according to the bible. This all began to change once this power got the best of them and began to take advantage of it. Reverend Parris’ daughter Elizabeth and his niece Abigail Williams were the first to accuse Tituba, after she had entertained them with witch-craft, of being a witch after they had been “possessed” and experienced strange behavior the supernatural. These children did not want to admit that they had been a part of witch-craft, so they would invent tales to accuse others to cover up their sinful behaviors. Because their parents had believed their stories in order to protect them, 20 innocent people had died. Much like the case of Giles Corey, land was most important when it came to social status. After an argument between Thomas Putman and Giles over his land, Thomas had found an opportunity to win over his land. He had told his daughter, Ann Putman, to accuse Giles of witch-craft so he would confess. Because Giles neither confessed nor denied the fact he was a witch, his land went to his family, but in conclusion was killed. For these reasons, Salem had nearly been destroyed with the combination of social, power, and economic reasons. Paranoia and selfish acts of these Puritan settlers had gotten the best of them and could have been avoided.

Bailey Fitzpatrick3&4The puritans immigrated to the New World in the seventeenth century in order to distance themselves from the corrupt version of Protestantism that was practiced in England at the time. They settled in the state of Massachusetts. They established a theocracy in which they could live in a society that was free of dishonesty and evil so their children could be safe from anything different from their ways of life. Their disapproval of any other practice besides their own coupled with their belief that children could do no wrong would eventually lead to their downfall. Seventy two years later, the Salem Witch Craft Trials would take place in what would be one of the most incredibly ridiculous events in America's history. They started when the children started accusing other people of practicing witchcraft, and since the Puritans considered anything other than their own practices to be unholy and that children could do no wrong, this lead to the death of many innocent people. The Puritans thought there was no way the children could be lying, but it was easier to believe that their fellow townsmen were devil worshippers. The Salem Witchcraft Trials are dramatized in Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. Although not entirely factual, it shows the flawed logic that the Puritans lived by, and it did a great job of demonstrating how ridiculous the whole situation was. The Puritans are a prime example of why a society cannot be close-minded to other belief systems. They have to understand that everyone has their own beliefs and who is to say that one is better than another. A group of people who originally believed in togetherness an living in a society that wasn't corrupt or controversial, ended up killing many of their own people. The Salem Witchcraft Trials forever be laughed at by today's society as possibly the most ridiculous event in America's history.

The Puritans were people who wanted their church reformed, so their biggest step was to get rid of any Catholic influence. THe Puritans beliefs were based off teachings by John Calvin, who taught them to purify themselves, and strive to purify the church of England. Puritan's community was a theocracy (a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities). They as purifiers of the church believed in total depravity, pre destination, grace, and education.

Puritans came to Massachusetts in 1620 during James I's reign, but it wasn't until about 1692 (70 years later) that the Salem witch trials began. According to dictionary.com, the Salem Witch Trials were trials held in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 that led to the execution of 20 people for allegedly practicing witch craft. The trials are noted for the hysterical atmosphere in which they were conducted; many towns people were widely suspected of witchcraft on flimsy evidence.

Hell nearly broke loose because of the Salem Witch Trials, hundreds were accused of practicing witchcraft, and there was a lot of mayhem.

Because of the Trials, a farm that could normally feed an average family couldn't even support many families of the next generation, causing farmers to move their farming farther into the wilderness, which soon caused enriching upon the indigenous people.

Secondly, puritans established a form of theocracy of medieval roman catholicism, soon ending in the church ruling in a civil war, and administered in capital punishment for violations of spiritual nature

Lastly, "Patriarchy" puritans came to the conclusion that by nature, a woman was more likely to practice witchcraft than a man, and woman were thought of as lustful by nature.

As you can see, the Salem Witch Trials caused a lot of mayhem in Plymouth, because of unfair accusations towards people in the colony, soon causing a lot of change and dysfunctional living in that area. I think that accusing people of practicing witchcraft ended up hurting Plymouth more than practicing witch craft itself.

Shortly after the founding of Plymouth in 1692, in what is modern day Massachusetts, the Puritans nearly caused the collapse of the settlement that they had been striving to create. The principles that the settlement had based its governmental structure on were also the eventual, key reasons for the, almost inevitable, witch craft trials. The colonist believed that it was their primary duty to rid the world of the devil and his accomplices. Additionally, the colonists assumed the task of attempting to purify a corrupt government, court systems, and church heavily influenced by the reigning monarch–hence the term Puritans was derived; as well as trying to teach the masses about the evils brought about by the envy of others and their properties. Although these goals appeared to be positive ones, their loftiness, in combination with human nature’s desire for control, led to the disintegration of their society. One of the initial reasons for the Salem Witch Trials is that the Puritans believed that they must rid the area, in which they were living, of the Devil. They created a system of highly subjective criteria for what condemns an individual to the classification of a witch. A witch, as described by the Puritan’s rulings, was considered a worker of the Devil. It was also believed that the people who were eventually convicted of practicing witchcraft had given their souls to the Devil, or had been possessed by his “minions”; a conviction which resulted in an immediate death sentence, so as to prevent the “passing-on” of the demonic possession to other members of the community. An additional, and ironic, reason for the high number of trials that occurred was greed among community members. It was common, during that time period, for a person’s neighbor to accuse them of practicing witch craft for the sole purposes of being able to obtain his property, once the defendant received his final sentence. Another reason the trials continued as long as they did was due to the corruption of the court systems. Judges heavily relied on maintaining the status quo of their reputation in order to remain in their lucrative position. Without trials to be held, the need for judges would be diminished, and the financial benefits of holding such a position would decrease or cease altogether. More trials equated to more financial gain for those employed in the court system.

It seems that throughout history, human nature’s desire for its own gain has proven that even the best intended goals can suffer corruption when not carefully guided. The colonists who landed in Plymouth, and had journeyed across the ocean while facing incredible trials in order to obtain freedom from a corrupt monarchy, and to seek God’s favor through an upright government, had fallen short by their own doing. Rather than modeling themselves after the guidelines presented to them in the Bible, to which they had devoted themselves, guidelines that described selflessness, truth, and mercy, they had turned to greed. This greed would cause them to lie about one another, mercilessly putting neighbors to death for personal gain. It is imperative that we learn from our history, as to not continue to make the same tragic mistakes. Today we often have our own “witch hunts” when we look to place blame on others, rather than looking inward at ourselves and asking how we might improve the world that we have been given.

In 1692, the Massachusetts was in chaos, and this chaos almost caused in the destruction of the colony. The Puritans of the time were very conflicted in their views of society, and these views resulted in havoc among the people. First, they were way too concerned about their status in the community; second, their religious views overran the legal/justice systems, making trials unjust (Salem Witch Trials); and third, the Puritans were so consumed with making others things pure that the “devils forest” was deemed their new project to purify. Therefore, the confusion of the people triggered in an irrational and senseless “witch hunt”, and the Salem Witchcraft Trials began.

Status in a community can be highly regarded even today. Back in 1692, many of these judges were so consumed with their self-image, they felt that they were forced to lie and cheat others out of their freedom and sometimes even their lives. These judges were the people in power, the ones who finalized the sentence in a trial. They dictated the outcome, which was not always the right one. Instead, they would manipulate others to do their “dirty work”, or they would take it into their own hands and simply give a false sentence to get a person out of the way, and to have their own name cleared. This in turn reflects onto the people, who feel like they have to lie and cover up their own views, as so not to lead these “power people” into a feeling that they might need to be taken care of. In the example of John Procter, he was so concerned with the right to his good name he decided to take the punishment of death with a clear conscience rather then to lie to the community for a “crime” he didn’t commit. The religious opinions on the select few of the colony greatly impacted the trials as well. They too were corrupt, for even the new minister in town lied and cheated others to clear his own name (just like the judges). The Puritans also were way too fixated on their personal need to “purify things.” One of the main things on their list was the “evil forest” were the devil lived. This is the same forest were the first “witches” were discovered, making the people desire even greater, causing deaths of innocent people, and heartache to many others. In total, 19 people died in the witch-hunt. These Puritan views were destructive to this community, and they came with many consequences.

Period 1&4Brynn VillaIn 1620 the Puritans’ settled in a little town called Plymouth, 72 years after they landed, there was a dispute called the Salem Witch trials. The Puritans worldview set the basis of this Salem Witch Trial that caused people to go ballistic. First, socially, children were seen as little angels who would never tell a lie which was very incorrect; second, politically, The judge knew what was going on and how the children were lying but he would not stand because he knew that if the truth ever came out, he would be blamed; lastly, religiously, the Puritans were crazy enough to convince everyone that children were innocent and also that the forest was wicked. With these facts, came the Salem Witch Trials, a devastating time in human history. The children were very upset because they had to leave Holland so they decided to take it out on the people. In our human nature, we tend to either throw a tantrum or get revenge. In this case the children were out for revenge, little did they know the price the people would have to pay for their stupidity. The judge knew everything that was going on, but he didn’t want to take heed to it because he was afraid of a price he might have to pay. He heard and knew the lies that were being spoken by the children, but he paid no heed because he knew that the people would turn their backs on him. He was too afraid to face the future and responsibility of the deaths that had already occurred because of the children. The Puritans religion consisted of them believing that all children were innocent and never told a lie. Because of this belief, they were able to “accuse” people of what they children had said. The Puritans were crazy enough to believe that the “good people” were witches and had seen the devil.All in all, the Puritans were crazy enough to accuse the best of people in the town were witches and had seen the devil. The consequences of this led to death. That is all….

The Puritan world view took consequence in the 1620s when Puritans, devoid of religious freedom in England, formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The rigid and archaic views that the Puritans held cultivated many problems in their future. The world view of the Puritans was at fault for the Salem Witch Trials; the persecution of Anne Hutchinson; and the Independence movement. John Winthrop a prominent member in Bay colony promoted a social hierarchy which had stark differences between the rich and the “Meaner” sort and it was sanctioned by God himself. This conviction mentioned in the Model for Christian Charity will be integral to disrobing the guise of the Salem Witch Trial. The trials are an example of class antagonisms exacerbated because the convicted for the most part were part of burgeoning class of Salem and they usually held land. The trials at its roots is driven by the greed and jealously, which were all predicated upon John Winthrop’s message of inequality is bliss. The message Winthrop gave set the social norms of the colony and it fostered class animosity because it openly salutes the submission of the poor and the inopportune lives they were subjected to. The witch trials are merely reaction to decades of social oppression by the Puritans rigid and archaic world view. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams in the lenses of Puritanism are dissenters because they held views contrary to the Congregational clergy. Anne Hutchinson asserted that if someone experiences the experience of conversion they are not obligated to live a holy life and this took the Puritans world view to a new extreme. The persecution of Anne Hutchinson shows that Puritans have defined view of Calvinism and only embrace it to the point of where it is beneficial for the culture their trying to create. When Anne Hutchinson embraced it to the point where it threatened the way of life for the Puritans and they take issue with her fanatical view. This shows that the Puritan world view predicated upon beliefs that only benefit the progression of Puritan way of life and they embrace these beliefs only to the extent that will not compromise their objectives. Most of the people migrating to the Massachusetts Bay colony are Puritans, which are Protestants who believe the Church of England needs to be reformed. The roots of the American Revolution were in New England, which has Puritan roots. The reformist tendencies of Puritans most likely bled over into political scene. The American Revolution could be seen as reform to the way people are governed because there was distinctive shift of rights from the monarchs to people. The Puritanical need to see reform not only led to the formation of a free nation but it freed humanity from arbitrary monarchs. The Puritans have left an indelible mark on human history.

Steven FraserPeriod 6In 1620 about a hundred puritan colonist's landed in Plymouth, in which is now modren day Massachusetts. In 1692, 72 year's later, the desendent's of these colonist's were at each other's throat's in Salem village, accusing their neighbour's of witch-craft. This dramatic situation was made possible because of thier world view's and the event was practically inevitable because of some the factors the community was based on. Frist the society was based on Puritanism, and developed the idea that the right's of the society came before the right's of the individual; Second the Puritan's of Salem were very selfish and used the witch trial's to improve their land holding's; Third the leader's of the society believed that they must stop the spread of witch craft and the "Devil" in order to keep the community pure. Therefore because of social, economical, and political reasons the Salem community nearly collapsed on it's self.First because the society was based on Puritanism it took right's away from the individual and gave right's to the society. An example of this is shown in the Crucible, when the judge punishes John Procter for interupting the Trials and bringing evidence that could prove all the accusation's false. because John Procter challenge's the Authority of the court and the judge thinks the proof could lead to chaos, the offical's take away his right's to keep control of the society. this response stem's from the Puritan belief that they must keep their community "pure" for the good of everyone.Second the view's of the puritan's were flawed because it allowed for the opportunity for the greedy members of society to turn against their neighbour's for land and old vendettas. The society was very strict and did not allow for people to publicly settle score's which led to people holding on to them and getting more and more bitter over it. Because of this when the Salem witch trials came along many people saw it as a opportunity for payback. Another side effect of the witch trials was people using it as a cover for personal gain in the form of land which was scarce in Massachusetts. to do this they would either have someone else accuse thier neighbour or they would do it themselves. This is shown in the Crucible when Thomas Putnam accuses Giles Correy of witch craft to get his land. The greed of the citizen's of Salem almost led to it's destructionThird the Puritan leader's believed that it was their duty to stop the spread of the "Devil" and that the whole world was depending on them to stop him at Salem. Because of this belief the leader's were absolutely determined to weed out the witch's, believing that if they failed the devil would win. In light of this belief the leader's thought they were doing god's work in accusing the citizen's even though there was no evidence whatsoever. Also because of this belief the leader's thought it was “their” duty to be in power and control the people.As a whole the Puritan worldview was very flawed and led to the death's of 20 innocent's and very nearly many more.

In the late 16th century a religious group, known as Puritans, arose from the Church of England. This group saw the Church of England as corrupt and sought to “purify” it. A small group of Puritans (Separatists) thought the reformation was moving too slow and separated from the Church completely. The Separatists escaped to Holland in search of freedom from persecution from their king. But they left Holland on the Mayflower only twelve years after arriving because of their fear their children would be corrupted by Polish culture. Before the Separatists left Holland they signed the Mayflower Compact which ensured a form of government would exist in their colony.

During the year 1692, following the seventy year establishment founded by Puritan settlers in what is currently referred to as Massachusetts; this New England area transformed itself into its own worst enemy. The calamity that ensued was in a variety of ways unavoidable due to the countless defining factors of the colonial expansionists of the time. Socially, Puritans withheld the belief that children were absolutely innocent in every sense of the word; politically, circumstances pertaining to ownership of the land at the time were extremely fragile and easy to take advantage of with the surrounding chaos as well as the notion that if one was not careful, they would fall into the Devil’s “hands”; economically, those same farmers had no choice but to compete by any means necessary to avoid both loss of land by vengeful neighbors and the spectral evidence presented by the “victims” of the allegedly accused witches. Thus, for social, political, and economical reasons, the small municipal town of Salem was virtually turned against itself during the late 1600s, allowing the “witch trials” to overturn any trace of sanity still left behind. To begin with, the Puritans assumed that the words of the children were always void of any kind of misdemeanor. As exemplified by John Winthrop’s A Modell of Christian Charity written in 1630, he illuminates the idea that all people are subject to encounter either fortunes or misfortunes, and one’s fate is simply not under anyone else’s control. Essentially emphasizing, (as the leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) the strongly implied ideal in Salem that children were pure. Bound religiously and socially to the Bible, these Puritan’s were very different from their disparate Separatist colonials, and understood that once they were reproached by a child their destinies were almost certainly sealed. This was mainly due to life being governed by the Church and staunch religious views, in addition to schooling only in religious doctrine and the bible. Next, the political environment was swarming with townspeople who sought nothing more than to sully the name of fellow neighbors who had supposedly done them wrong in the past, or even as a result of jealousy in direct connection to farmland. As shown in The Crucible the chaos that succeeded the repetitive accusations was often the result of distrust. Despite the movie being a work of fiction, the reality to their actions and consequences of those actions are absolutely truthful, and display a complexity of lies woven by not only the people themselves, but also the members of the council, for they too had selfish motives in mind. Also, the fear that the rest of the world would eventually fall prey to the Devil’s will was another concern, seeing as they took into account the apparently tainted forests located on the outskirts of town. Lastly, the faith in the victims by the members of council led to the economical forfeiture of land to those who claimed to be targeted by the evils of witchcraft. The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony held a sense of isolationism to them, and as such, individuals competing for land found it difficult to sustain the current state of their land due to the outside threat of the surrounding forests that was in the possession of the “Devil”. Because of this, it made it much simpler to call for the execution of someone who had managed seize a hefty amount of land, and make it their own. As a result of the Puritan communal, governmental, and financial threats stemming from all sides, the Salem Witch Trials inexorably defined its own weakening state of mind, causing mass disorder and devastation.

In 1692, the Salem witch trials nearly destroyed the Plymouth community. Plymouth, present day Massachusetts, was discovered seventy years prior to the Salem Witch trials. The Salem Witch trials was a calamity, that looking back, was completely unnecessary. First, the Puritan movement of the Church of England; Second, the conflict with the separatists caused grief to the colony; and thirdly, the Salem Witch Trials caused accusations that created unnecessary conflict. Therefore, the Plymouth community nearly destroyed its self due to the economic and political issues, and witch-hunting.

One of the reasons for the near destruction was the movement of the Church of England. Restrictions were placed on the puritans on changing the church from within. The puritans eventually gained power, after the years of 1642-1646 during the First English Civil War; and also the 1622 Uniformity Act. The 1622 Uniformity act resulted in almost all puritan clergy left the church. Some converted into non conformist ministers. The change in the movement in England radically changed, although retained its character for much longer in New England.

Another issue for the ruining of Plymouth was conflict with the separatists. The belief system of the Separatists was that the foundation of the church was God’s spirit not man or the state. The total believers of Christianity were expected to seek out other Christians, talk about faith, God, and the Holy spirit. From there, the Christians would gather together to form a particular church. The foundation of this belief system was for the autonomous local church of the separatists.

During the Salem Witch Trials, accusations were being made. As recorded in history, it has been said that women would sneak off into the “devilish forests” at night and make potions, in order to make contact with the devil. Many accusations were made to Tituba, an African slave who had supposedly made contact with this devil. She was forced to confess to something she didn’t do. Many women were labeled as “bewitched”. this meant that they would celebrate, worship the devil, and cast spells.

Therefore, Plymouth was responsible for the near domination of its self because of the movement of the Church of England, conflict with fellow separatists, and the Salem Witchcraft Trials.

In the 15th and 16th century the original settlers were developing a changing worldview. Their worldview was much more drastic than any other. They had severe fears; they also manipulated the fears of the people around them; and they also had a better education.When the first settlers arrived the new world was covered in amazing flora but the dark redwood forest close to the shore was considered the devils kingdom and when people started to think or act differently many of the separatists would declare them to be a witch. Much of this was foolish and in our view stupid but back then they didn’t have such a grasp of the world.

Also the separatists manipulated the people around them fears of for example witchcraft. When people wanted their nabiors land they just found something that the person did or something they say that the nabor did and say that it was witchcraft, or if the person was beating them they would say that the person was a witch or that if they committed a crime they would say that they were forced to do it by a witch.

The education of the settler’s children was much better than the education they would have gotten from anywhere else because the settlers didn’t have traditional schools. The schools that the settlers had were much in the view of outsiders unorthodox and in hind sight much more superior to much of the outside worlds. This lead too many of the “innocent” children making up stories during the witch trials and back then the children were smarter than the adults gave them credit for. All of this leads to the settlers being fooled by their own children. Many of the children targeted people who had in their view wronged them and back then children were viewed to be innocent and never lied in hind sight this is very foolish.

The Puritans arrived to the Americas in the 1600s in a radical attempt to discover a place where they could expand upon their practiced Protestant values and by the time of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, these colonists already had a dignified and refined culture. The Salem Witch Trials brought to question the morals and decency of the society, but more importantly, established an idea of where the Puritan viewpoint stood. This Puritan perspective was largely influenced by elements by which these colonists lived, which very much conformed to their Puritan beliefs. Firstly, as a result of Puritan theocracy, individuals were subjected to the idea of justice in the name of society, an idea that was not necessarily in their best interest; Secondly, there was a dominant religious influence over government, supported by interconnected communities in early New England, exhibiting a sort of socio-political structure; Thirdly, as supported by John Wintrop’s A Model of Christian Charity, the Church’s extreme influences over beliefs, both religious and political, effected many choices that individuals made in regards to government, creating a huge bias within politics. The Puritan beliefs and guidelines severely transformed the reaction to the Trials in New England.People were not ensured individual justice at this time because the focus was on society’s definition of justice. Wrongdoings were categorized and labeled and could not be justified in any way. Society was promised justice simply to ensure authority, although that power was repeatedly abused. So, in an attempt to maintain authority, the real definition of justice in the Trials was hindered by what justice became to be known as within Puritan idealism.Communities were bonded by Puritanism ideas and philosophy, thus reinforcing the supremacy of the Church in political matters. The Salem Witch Trials depict this seamlessly, as the Church’s ideas of what God wanted these Puritans to accomplish through the Trials hugely altered their outcomes. In the minds of the Puritans, political government and regime was supposed to directly parallel that in religion.Also characterizing the results of the Trials was the sovereignty that the Puritan Church not only maintained in society overall, but also in the direct impact it held over individuals as it guided them into a strict moral mindset of what was right and wrong in the world. The Church preached that the entire world was watching them, observing them, and it was the sole responsibility of these people to show the world the difference between good and evil. John Winthrop supports this idea in A Model of Christian Charity, empowering this society to become the examples for the rest of the world, which would then supposedly follow suit.Without the religious and supremacist biases within the Salem Witchcraft Trials, New England would have seen a drastically different set of events, one that reflected reason and an ultimate understanding of truth and justice.

The Puritans arrived to the Americas in the 1600s in a radical attempt to discover a place where they could expand upon their practiced Protestant values and by the time of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, these colonists already had a dignified and refined culture. The Salem Witch Trials brought to question the morals and decency of the society, but more importantly, established an idea of where the Puritan viewpoint stood. This Puritan perspective was largely influenced by elements by which these colonists lived, which very much conformed to their Puritan beliefs. Firstly, as a result of Puritan theocracy, individuals were subjected to the idea of justice in the name of society, an idea that was not necessarily in their best interest; Secondly, there was a dominant religious influence over government, supported by interconnected communities in early New England, exhibiting a sort of socio-political structure; Thirdly, as supported by John Wintrop’s A Model of Christian Charity, the Church’s extreme influences over beliefs, both religious and political, effected many choices that individuals made in regards to government, creating a huge bias within politics. The Puritan beliefs and guidelines severely transformed the reaction to the Trials in New England.People were not ensured individual justice at this time because the focus was on society’s definition of justice. Wrongdoings were categorized and labeled and could not be justified in any way. Society was promised justice simply to ensure authority, although that power was repeatedly abused. So, in an attempt to maintain authority, the real definition of justice in the Trials was hindered by what justice became to be known as within Puritan idealism.Communities were bonded by Puritanism ideas and philosophy, thus reinforcing the supremacy of the Church in political matters. The Salem Witch Trials depict this seamlessly, as the Church’s ideas of what God wanted these Puritans to accomplish through the Trials hugely altered their outcomes. In the minds of the Puritans, political government and regime was supposed to directly parallel that in religion.Also characterizing the results of the Trials was the sovereignty that the Puritan Church not only maintained in society overall, but also in the direct impact it held over individuals as it guided them into a strict moral mindset of what was right and wrong in the world. The Church preached that the entire world was watching them, observing them, and it was the sole responsibility of these people to show the world the difference between good and evil. John Winthrop supports this idea in A Model of Christian Charity, empowering this society to become the examples for the rest of the world, which would then supposedly follow suit.Without the religious and supremacist biases within the Salem Witchcraft Trials, New England would have seen a drastically different set of events, one that reflected reason and an ultimate understanding of truth and justice.

The Puritans immigrated to the New World in the seventeenth century to bring their children up in a world free from dishonesty and evil. They felt that the Protestantism practiced in England at that time was corrupt. They formed a society where their beliefs and principles were the only acceptable way of life. A primary source of understanding the Puritanical view is a sermon delivered by John Winthrop, the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and its first governor Titled “A Model of Christian Charity”. The Puritans’ lives were centered on the church and their settlement was rooted in, Winthrop’s words. Believing the stories of a group of young children and their accusations of witchcraft, these same people who wanted to live in a world free of evil and dishonesty turned against one another and became the evil they had so piously denounced. Some of the women in the colony who were considered outcasts and those that fit the description of the "usual suspects" for witchcraft accusations, were brought to trial and no one stood up for them. In “The Crucible” it says that they were willing to “throw one individual into the fire” in order to try and keep the community “pure” and in control. They tell John Proctor that he will be hanged for something he never did but really just wanted to rid the town of what they considered bad blood because they felt he was causing trouble, and questioning the authority and decisions of the court. The court believed they were supporting the community and took the bible literally when it says in Mathew 18:8 “And if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hand or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” They felt that if one was “practicing” witchcraft, then he or she should be put to death rather than the whole town corrupted by the devil. They also believed that if you were a true “Christian” then you would support the community, not the individual. In “The Crucible” Rev. Paris says that anyone seeking the good of Christianity will not “hinder this court.” He felt that anyone going against the community was not a “Christian.” The attitude of the time was "guilty until proven innocent" and it became virtually impossible to prove innocence when the entire community was turned against an individual. The Puritans’ narrow view led to the death of many innocent lives and the evil they wanted to escape became worse than they could ever have imagined.

The Puritans world view was profoundly shaped by the religious persecution they experienced in England and this also led to the formation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The rigid and intolerant views of the Puritans created many controversies including the Salem Witch trials. The intolerant and rigid world view of the Puritans was responsible for the Salem Witch trials and specifically these factors are at fault; the teachings of John Winthrop; the persecution of Anne Hutchinson; and the Puritan’s absurd interpretation of Christianity. John Winthrop a prominent member in Bay colony promoted a social hierarchy which promoted sharp differences between the rich and the poor also known as the ”Meaner” sort and he taught that it was sanctioned by God himself. This conviction mentioned in the Model for Christian Charity will be integral to disrobing the guise of the Salem Witch Trial. The trials are an example of class antagonisms exacerbated because the convicted people for the most part were part of burgeoning class of Salem and they usually held the higher quality land. The trial at its roots is driven by the greed and jealously because the people were falsely accused of being a witch an executed so others could claim their land. The rigid social hierarchy presented in Winthrop’s argument created a volatile socio-economic environment in Salem. The message Winthrop gave set the social norms of the colony and it fostered class animosity because it openly salutes the submission of the poor and the inopportune. The witch trials are merely reaction to decades of social oppression by the Puritans rigid world view. Anne Hutchinson in the lenses of Puritanism is a dissenter because she held views contrary to the Congregational clergy. Anne Hutchinson asserted that if someone experiences the experience of conversion they are not obligated to live a holy life and this took the Puritans world view to a new extreme. The persecution of Anne Hutchinson shows that Puritans have defined view of Calvinism and only embrace it to the point of where it is beneficial for their culture their trying to create. When Anne Hutchinson embraced it to the point where it threatened the way of life for the Puritans and they took issue with her extremist views by banishing her. This shows that the Puritan world view predicated upon beliefs that only benefit the progression of Puritan way of life and they embrace these beliefs only to the extent that will not compromise their objectives. The Puritans believed that the devil lived in the dark forest near Salem and this prevented expansion into the woods and created a land scarcity. This was the catalyst for the Salem Witch Trials because the shortage of land caused people to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft to get their land and not have to expand into the dark forest. These ideas that the devil lived in the forest helped perpetuate the absurd myth that witches lived in Salem. If the people were taught that the devil lived in the woods it is not too far off for them to believe that witches existed and were the devil’s agents. The Puritan’s warped views led to the deaths of many in the Salem Witch Trials and a bizarre legacy that still confuses many people today.

About Me

I was born and raised in Gridley, California. Earned a BA in English and History at Chico State, an MA in English Literature at Bakersfield State, and have taught overseas as well as throughout California.